Infertility is no laughing matter – until you see these pictures

Infertility is certainly not a funny topic. However, a couple who have been through it themselves are sharing their journey through a series of social media 'announcements' similar to that seen for pregnancies – and the results are unexpectedly amusing.

Whitney and Spencer Blake are much the same as many other couples: they met, fell in love, got married and started planning a family. But that's where things came to a standstill.

After years of trying for a baby with no success, the couple was diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility'. 

Unexplained infertility is a term used to describe those who are unable to conceive, despite there being no medical reason behind it. Nature, quite simply, just does not take its course.

Following their diagnosis, the Blakes embarked on a number of fertility treatments. However, they still failed to fall pregnant – all while those around them seem to do nothing but. 

"It was definitely a difficult time. It was a very hard time. It was a lonely time," Whitney told ABC News.

"It kind of felt hard to watch the people we love very much being blessed with something we wanted to enjoy. We felt like we were getting left behind, but we tried to enjoy life and not let it consume us."

Fortunately for the Blakes, their story now has a happy ending, as they are parents to two beautiful boys they adopted in 2012 and 2014.

Despite this, they remember all too well the heartache of seven years of infertility – and it's this pain that drove them to creating their humorous 'announcements'. 

"We truly feel for people who struggle with infertility and we remember what those days were like," Whitney told ABC. "We just remember that time and kind of wanted to offer encouragement, I guess."

Published to coincide with America's National Infertility Awareness week, the couples' pictures humorously portray a journey of infertility by turning the most commonly seen pregnancy announcements on their heads.

As someone who was diagnosed with unexplained infertility and underwent IVF to conceive my two sons, I relate to the Blakes' journey well. I also agree that other peoples' pregnancy announcements were one of the hardest things to smile through.

At the time I was trying to conceive it felt like every other Facebook update was a bump, a baby scan, or a blue or pink ribbon.   

I remember receiving phone calls and texts announcing the safe arrival of a new family member, and I recall the stream of social media that then followed. 

There were pictures of babies sleeping, feeding, cuddling, and bathing. It felt neverending, and, at times, quite torturous.

It's a hard road to travel: on one hand, I was genuinely happy for friends who had fallen pregnant. But on the other, there was a part of me that couldn't help but think 'why not me?'. 

And with every new announcement and every month that went by, the journey got harder. I felt I was the only one who was struggling to conceive, and there were times when I wondered if I ever would.

But of course I'm far from alone – in fact, infertility is now very common. 

According to Genea Fertility, one in six Australian couples will have a fertility issue at some point in their lives, and one in 10 couples will have trouble conceiving their second child.

So does the humorous outlook shared by the Blakes serve a purpose?  Personally, I think so.

Infertility on the whole is a serious topic and not something that's easy to laugh at – particularly when you're in it. But because of the very nature of this, it makes sufferers feel alone and can become the white elephant in the room.

Perhaps if we were to be more open about our struggles, and to share our journeys publically, it would open up more conversations around infertility. 

Who knows, it might even help break what remains one of only a few remaining social taboos – and surely that's something worth announcing.